What I’m Watching: Insecure

Insecure: Season 5, Episode 3 “Pressure, Okay?!” (B+)

I like that this show spends time with some of its auxiliary characters who are no longer central to the plot, and to see how their lives have changed when they do come back into contact with the people we know. Opening with a song including lyrics like “been there, done that” was a great segue from Lawrence being connected to Issa to another past romance, one with a more enduring remnant in the form of the child he had with Condola. He had to leave his date in the middle because his baby was being born, and he received a rather cold response when he showed up in the hospital room. While this show is often a comedy, this episode felt a lot more like a drama, one that stressed the difficulties of coparenting when both parties don’t feel like they have an equal stake in the relationship with their child. Lawrence is also trying to build up his business, and as a result his plan to travel to see Elijah on a very regular basis didn’t end up making that much sense. Having differing opinions about the baby losing weight and other parenting decisions made for a rocky relationship, and going to the birthday party together showed signs of promise. What was considerably less comfortable to watch was the way that they started fighting in front of everyone else when Condola wanted to take the baby back, showing that it’s going to be very difficult for them to be on the same page.